Marcus Relphorde`s shot in the paint rimmed out as time expired in the first meeting. Alec Burks injured his left knee just two minutes into the game and did not return.

"We`ve got to get desperate so we can win these three games," said Burks, who has scored in double figures in every other game he has played in.

After suffering some lopsided losses at conference powerhousesKansas State, Kansas and Missouri this month, the Buffs believe they can bounce back today against Iowa State and put together a win streak entering the Big 12 Tournament.

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CU`s final road game will be at last-place Nebraska next Tuesday and the home finale will be against Texas Tech on March 6.

"You`ve got to make layups and you can`t turn the ball over. We turned it over several times (against Missouri) where it was unforced," Bzdelik said after CU`s 92-63 loss to the Tigers on Wednesday. "You`ve got to be smarter and you can`t run and hide from the ball.

"All the things we`ve been working on, we didn`t do."

Craig Brackins scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Cyclones over CU. Iowa State dropped its next six games until Wednesday`s 78-74 win over Nebraska at Hilton Coliseum in which Brackins scored 11 of his 21 points in the final 7:18.

Brackins, a likely NBA first-round pick, had to be drooling while watching film of Missouri shooting 58.3 percent from the field without much resistance from the Buffs.

"You have to play defense," Burks said. "You can`t just let your man drive by you. Everybody needs to play harder."

A win today would solidify CU`s hold on 10th place and drop Iowa State back down to 11th. And the Buffs would still have a chance to improve their seed at the Big 12 Tournament with two more winnable games to close out the regular season.

These are opportunities Bzdelik`s team can`t afford to miss out on. There is no margin for error now to achieve the preseason goal of a winning season.

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